BIO
Will Calhoun, the widely acclaimed drummer from the Bronx, New York,
graduated from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he received
a Bachelors degree in Music Production and engineering. He was also the
recipient of the prestigious Buddy Rich Jazz Masters Award for
outstanding performance by a drummer.
Special kudos for Will's drumming virtuosity include: “Best New Drummer
of 1988” by Modern Drummer Magazine's Readers Poll; “Number One
Progressive Drummer” by Modern Drummer Magazine's Readers Poll
three times (1989, 1991 & 1992); Best Drummer Of 1990 by Rolling
Stone Magazine's Critics Poll.
Will Calhoun's unique blend of improvisational and hard rock drumming
can be found on each of Living Colour's four Epic releases: the ground
breaking multi-platinum debut, Vivid, the critically acclaimed
sophomore LP, Time's Up, the 1991 EP, Biscuits, 1993's Stain, and their latest release on Sanctuary Records,
CollideØscope. A prolific song writer, Will has co-written many
Living Colour compositions and wrote the critically acclaimed song,
“Pride” from the Time's Up album and “Nothingness” on the Stain album. As a member of Living Colour, Will received a Grammy
Award in 1989 for Best Hard Rock Performance by a group and another
Grammy in 1990 for Best Hard Rock Performance. Living Colour also won an
International Rock Award In 1991 for Best Rock Band.
In addition to his work with Living Colour, Will has recorded and/or
toured with diverse artists including B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Jaco
Pastorious, Harry Belafonte, Pharoah Sanders, Jack Dejohnette, Paul
Simon, Lou Reed, Marcus Miller, Dr. John, Carly Simon, Herb Alpert,
Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood, Wayne Shorter (on the Grammy-winning
CD High Life), and recorded with rappers Run-DMC and Public
Enemy. As a producer, player, and songwriter, Will has worked on Herb
Alpert's Grammy-nominated CD, Colors.
Will released his first solo jazz CD as a leader in 2000:
The Will
Calhoun Quintet: Live at the Blue Note. The disc is an adventurous
journey through Will's approach to acoustic Jazz, World and Ambient
music. The line-up features Bobby Watson (sax), Terrell Stafford
(trumpet), John Benitez (bass) and Orrin Evans (piano).
Will's latest creation is his follow-up release on the Halfnote label,
Native Lands. The album can be described as “Jazz meets World,
meets trance-inducing Urban music.” This is a double package: a CD/DVD
in which Calhoun marries his far reaching interests in a genre-bending
collection that taps key expressionists from various backgrounds.
Among those contributing are Pharaoh Sanders, Mos Def, Buster Williams,
Stanley Jordan, Kevin Eubanks, Marcus Miller and Wallace Roney, as well
as Nana Vasconcelos from Brazil and Cheick Tidiane Seck from Mali. The
album includes a DVD with over ninety minutes of music videos and
documentary materials that chronicle the last ten years of Will's life
and travels.
Not many artists have the vision and artistic energy to be Grammy
winners and contribute to so many genres: jazz, rock, hip-hop, ambient,
et al, while concurrently producing, touring, creating new projects,
working on films, and continually pushing the envelope. Will Calhoun has
this creative vision, and he is doing an extraordinary job keeping music
a spiritual and motivating force in his life.
Check
out the Official Will Calhoun
Website here...
http://www.willcalhoun.com/
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